New In Town
by Drezella
Summary: Sirius Black meets a Muggle girl on his way to pick up Harry. A Muggle girl who likes motorbikes...Set during the summer before the trio's 7th year.


Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related titles are property of WB, J. K. Rowling, and anybody else who owns them ( I'm not making any money off of this. The only things I own in this story are Kat Brown and A Scoop of Satisfaction.  
  
A/N: Please read and review!!!  
  
New in Town By: Drezella  
  
MOTORCYCLES. I don't know what it is about them, but they're definitely a turn-on to me. I mean, really, stick me on the back of one with a hot driver, and I'm in Heaven! So I guess that's what attracted me to him. It's a pity, though, that I'll never get to see him again. Oh, right, right- I'm getting ahead of myself.  
  
I was sitting in my favorite ice cream shop in town, A Scoop of Satisfaction. I had just finished my bowl of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream and was idly stirring the melted remains around the bottom of the bowl. I spend a lot of my free time at A Scoop of Satisfaction, to relax and to remind myself that there's more to life than working for the newspaper. So, this afternoon was just like all others, for the most part. I scooped up the melted ice cream and lifted the spoon to my lips, slowly slurping up its contents. As I sipped, I heard the little bell on the door tinkle its greeting to an entering customer. As it was a slow afternoon, I was interested to see who was entering. Setting my spoon back in the bowl, I casually crossed my right leg over my left and shifted a bit in the seat to get a better view of the new customer. Now, I know most of the regular patrons to this little shop, since I spend all of my free time there. Immediately, I knew that this man must be a first-time customer, probably even from out-of-town, for I would've surely remembered an outfit like the one he was wearing. He had a mop of black hair that looked was loosely pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, a few loose strands sticking out at odd angles around his ears. His face looked a bit confused as his deep-set eyes darted cautiously about the room. I was sure that he was not much older than I was, though lines on his face made him appear older. Over a white T-shirt he wore a faded black leather jacket, one hand shoved in a pocket, the other holding an old, scratched up black helmet. Faded, loose-fitting blue jeans were held up by a thick black belt, and his feet were clad in black biker boots with big silver buckles.  
  
Well, anywhere that you have a leather jacket, boots, and a helmet, there's definitely a motorcycle involved. Naturally, I was intrigued. I watched as this stranger removed his hand from his pocket to brush away a loose piece of hair, still looking confused, and now a bit nervous. I quickly looked down, suddenly becoming very interested in my bowl, as his eyes swept over the corner I was sitting in. I didn't raise my eyes again until I heard the clunking of his boots as he made his way towards the ordering counter. Chip, the cashier, nodded a friendly hello, and asked the stranger for his order in a cheery voice. The stranger hesitated a bit, resting on hand on the counter and reading the list of ice creams and yogurts available. As I was several tables away from the counter, I couldn't hear what it was that he ordered. Chip obviously didn't understand the man, for he didn't type anything into the cash register, just gave the man an odd look. The man leaned forward on the counter and said something else, but Chip just shook his head, chuckling. The man removed his hand from the counter and moved it towards his pocket again, hesitated, then let it fall to his side. The two conversed again, and Chip's chuckles increased in volume as he slapped the counter with his hand. The stranger was obviously not amused, for I noticed his hand clenching and unclenching at his side.  
  
Well, I was growing restless as I watched these two from a distance. For one thing, I wanted to know who this stranger was, and for another, I wanted to know what was so damn funny! After a little quick thinking, I decided that I would pretend to want another scoop of ice cream. I rose from my seat, smoothed my blue jean mini-skirt, and tugged my lilac tank top back into place. Throwing another glance at the two men, I picked up my bowl and made my way up to the counter behind the stranger. Chip noticed me and decided to involve me in the joke.  
  
"Kat," he managed to splutter in between his laughter, "Kat, maybe you can help here." The stranger stepped aside, a bit annoyed, as I stepped forward and placed my bowl on the counter.  
  
"What's the matter?" I asked off-handedly.  
  
"This bloke wants to know if we 'ave any pumpkin juice!" Chip laughed.  
  
"Pumpkin juice?" I repeated, eyeing the stranger. He shoved his hand back into his pocket uncomfortably, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Th-that's not all!" Chip exclaimed. "Then asked for a butterscotch, but I think he mighta meant scotch, and, well, this is a bloody ice cream shop."  
  
"Look, maybe I'll leave," said the stranger in a husky voice. "I've apparently come to the wrong place."  
  
"No," I protested, a bit more forcefully than needed, as the stranger turned to leave. Chip looked at me strangely, but said nothing. "Look- let me buy you something, and we'll sort all this out." He turned back to me and eyed me suspiciously. I clasped my hands behind my back and crossed my fingers for luck. The stranger looked out the window for a moment, then finally sighed and shook his head.  
  
"All right," he agreed, tucking his helmet under his arm and rubbing his other hand across the back of his neck.  
  
"Okay, Chip," I said cheerfully, turning back to the counter and releasing my hands. "Give me another scoop of mint-chocolate-chip, and for this gentleman-" I paused, surveying the stranger up and down again. "-How about, two scoops of chocolate fudge?" The stranger nodded slightly, and Chip bustled about filling our orders.  
  
"All right, 'ere you go," said Chip as he handed us our bowls. When I paid, I noticed that the stranger was quite interested in the bills I was paying with. We walked together to the table in the corner I'd been sitting at when he'd arrived.  
  
"So," I said as we sat down. "My name's Katherine Brown, but my friends call me Kat." I stuck out my hand, and he shook it, before leaning over to place his helmet on the floor beside his chair.  
  
"Well, Kat," he said, stirring his ice cream around a bit. "My name is Sirius-" he paused.  
  
"Is there a last name that goes with this?" I asked, curious.  
  
"No," he replied, looking down. "At least, not one that I can say.  
  
"Oh," I replied. "Do you, like, work for the government or something?" I pushed a strand of my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear.  
  
"Something like that," he replied, eating a spoonful of his ice cream.  
  
"Sirius." I muttered. "That sounds familiar." He looked up quickly, his hand frozen in mid air between the bowl and his mouth. "Isn't that the name of a star, or something?"  
  
"Oh, oh yes," he said, sounding a bit relieved, and scooping up some more ice cream.  
  
"You're new in town, aren't you?" I asked, before eating a spoonful of my ice cream as well. He hesitated a bit before answering.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I am," he answered finally, after taking another eating another spoonful of ice cream. "How could you tell?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno, maybe your- um- choice of beverage?" I replied, smiling. He let out a low, raspy chuckle, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, I guess you don't drink a great deal of pumpkin juice in this area, eh?"  
  
"No, not really," I replied, laughing a bit as well.  
  
"You're obviously not from around here either."  
  
"Oh, what gives you that idea?"  
  
"Well, your accent, for one."  
  
"Really, well." I drifted off, sipping ice cream off my spoon.  
  
"Unless, of course, you're faking," he said. "In that case, you do a wonderful impression of an American."  
  
"No, it's real," I laughed. "I moved here a couple of months ago, right after I graduated. Always wanted to live in England, you see, and I'm not very fond of big cities. So, I found an apartment- er, a flat- just down the street, and answered a request for help at the local paper. Got promoted to Editor-in-Chief just last month," I added as an afterthought, sitting up a bit straighter. He smiled a boyish smile, making him appear years younger.  
  
"So, what are you doing in Little Whinging?" I asked, slurping another helping of ice cream.  
  
"Actually, I'm here to pick up my godson," he replied. "It's his seventeenth birthday, you see. I was supposed to meet someone first, though." He looked out the window again, a faraway expression crossing his face. He furrowed his brow in apparent anger, and I noticed his hands ball up into fists.  
  
"Are you okay?" I asked. He jumped out of his trance and snapped his head toward me again.  
  
"Oh, oh yes," he replied hurriedly, taking a distracted sip from his spoon.  
  
"So, um, with whom were you supposed to meet?"  
  
"Just.an old acquaintance. He told me to meet him here.said that he had something to give me." He stared into his bowl of melting ice cream, obviously not wanting to continue. I took a deep breath, watching his eyebrows knit together in concentration as he watched the steady dripping of the melting ice cream. What was wrong with this guy? Or was it me? I would never admit to being a poor conversationalist, but I had seemed to hit a sensitive topic. I felt ready to give up- what had been accomplished by buying him some ice cream and sitting down to talk? The only information I'd collected was his name and why he was here. Why had I even bothered to buy him the ice cream in the first place? What had I been thinking?  
  
Shifting in my seat, I took a very audible slurp of ice cream- louder than I had intended. He looked up, surprised, and our eyes locked for a moment. I could feel a pink tinge coloring my freckled nose and cheeks ever so slightly. Then, without warning, he burst into gales of laughter. He sank lower in his chair, leaning back and sprawling his long legs out so far that he kicked his helmet. He placed a hand over his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. The whole time I just stared, amazed, wondering what had caused this outburst. His face was lit up, and he appeared younger again.  
  
"Excuse me- er- Mr. Sirius?" I asked cautiously, setting my spoon back into my bowl. The few other customers were starting to stare.  
  
"Wh-what?" he puffed, calming down. "Oh- you're wondering what made me laugh like a madman." he trailed off, before being overcome with laughter again. I stared, mouth hanging open, waiting for an explanation. "W-well, you see.I'm laughing at.I was laughing because.I.well." He couldn't seem to put his finger on it. He'd stopped laughing and was seriously considering the reason for his outburst. "Well, I was laughing at myself," he decided finally. "As I said, I was told by an old friend to meet him at a restaurant in this area, but I didn't realize he meant a Mu-.mostly ice cream-selling shop. See, this old 'friend' is someone I know from school. I pulled many a prank on him in our school days, and now the slimy bastard has decided to repay me by not showing up and making me late to pick up my godson. He's tried to make my life a living hell since we were about sixteen, and I've always tried to shrug it off and not let it bother me. I was laughing because it's really quite funny that talk of him with a total stranger sets me on edge after all these years.Of course, I guess you don't find it as funny as I do."  
  
"No, I understand," I replied hastily, nodding my head. "I'm just sorry that I've kept you here- you need to go pick up your godson."  
  
"Oh, no, you haven't caused any problems. Besides, I needed to relax a bit after that trip with my lady."  
  
"Your lady?" I repeated, a little disappointed.  
  
"Yes, ah- my motorbike." My eyes widened at the word.  
  
"You have a- a motorbike?" I asked, intrigued.  
  
"Well, yes," he said, leaning over and picking up his helmet, which I had totally forgotten about.  
  
"C-could I maybe, if it isn't too much trouble."  
  
"You'd like to see her?"  
  
"Yes! I mean, if it isn't a problem." He smiled, shaking his head. It was like a light had just clicked on. This was why I'd paid so much attention to him! I'd known he owned a bike because of his jacket, boots, and helmet.  
  
"She's right outside." He stood and offered me his hand. I accepted, and he gave a slight pull. He clunked his way out as I followed anxiously.  
  
"Here she is," he said proudly, opening the door to the shop. "Gorgeous, isn't she?" Gorgeous was an understatement. This huge black motorcycle was sleek and shiny, though there was mud splattered on the wheels- evidence of his long journey. She wasn't a Harley- in fact, I couldn't find any name on her at all. I reached out and placed my hand on one of her handlebars.  
  
"Beautiful," I breathed. I felt his eyes on me as I ran my fingers down the handlebar and to the seat.  
  
"Um, would you.would you like a ride?" he asked. I froze. Me, ride this bike? It's not that I was afraid of the bike- I'd ridden plenty. But I was afraid- no, not afraid, more like apprehensive- of riding with him. He was a total stranger- I didn't even know his last name! Sure, I'm a grown woman who can protect herself, but my mother's old warnings about not getting into cars with strangers, even if they offered candy, were nagging at the back of my mind.  
  
"Kat?" he asked again. He walked to the other side of the bike and threw his leg over, as I pushed my hair behind both my ears nervously. "C'mon, it's not dangerous. You can wear my spare helmet." He smiled his boyish smile, daring me to hop on with his eyes. Kat, I warned myself, he's a stranger. He could be some freak rapist or something.He patted the seat behind him. There's the car, and there's the candy, sitting on top..  
  
"Sure." What could I do? I have a weakness for candy, as well as motorcycles. The two together is, well, too tempting to pass. I grabbed the emerald helmet off the back of the bike and straddled the seat behind Sirius. Chuckling, he shoved his helmet onto his head and waited for me to do the same.  
  
"Now, you'll need to hold on tight- she can go pretty fast. This baby's like no other." I slipped my arms around his waist, clasping my hands together in front. He grabbed the handlebars, and immediately cranked the engine to life.  
  
"We're off!" he yelled over the roar of the engine as he maneuvered the bike out of the parking lot and onto the street.  
  
It was definitely unlike any other ride I'd ever taken before. Sirius knew exactly how to steer her so that she hardly tilted to the side at all, except for when turning. It was exhilarating, riding something so fast so smoothly. It seemed like Sirius was one with his bike, like she knew what he was thinking.  
  
For someone who was new in town, he sure knew his way around. We didn't reach a single red light the entire ride. We rode through neighborhoods and back into the heart of town again. After a ride that seemed like hours, we were back at A Scoop of Satisfaction, much to my disappointment. He pulled into the space nearest to the front door again, where a man was waiting. The engine died quickly, and Sirius unclipped his helmet.  
  
"Brought your girlfriend along, Black?" asked the other man in a voice as greasy as his hair. He had pale, sallow skin and was wearing all black, even though it was the middle of summer. I carefully swung myself off the bike and removed my helmet as Sirius stood up as well.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend," replied Sirius darkly as he approached the man. Wanting to ease the steadily growing tension, I stepped forward and offered my hand to the man.  
  
"My name's Katherine Brown- I work at the local newspaper. Mr. Black was just giving me a ride on his motorcycle since I was interested in it." He paused, glancing at Sirius, before shaking my hand.  
  
"Professor Severus Snape. I'm one of Black's old- ah- acquaintances." This must be the guy he mentioned earlier, I thought, taking my hand back. He certainly didn't seem to be the friendly type, and was glaring at Sirius like he was some old piece of cheese that someone had forgotten to throw out.  
  
"Kat, I had a wonderful time," said Sirius quickly. "Thanks for the ice cream."  
  
"Oh, it was my pleasure," I replied. "Thank you for the ride."  
  
"It was great- I love to show off my lady." He smiled that roguish, charming smile again.  
  
"Well, um, I need to get going, hafta get back to work."  
  
"Right, right- hope to see you sometime soon." He shook my hand.  
  
"Yes, well- good-bye Sirius- Professor Snape." I waved as I turned and headed through the parking lot towards my car.  
  
"How quaint," I heard the professor sneer. "Dog meets Kat."  
  
"Shut up"  
  
"Is she a Muggle, Black?"  
  
"That's beside the point-"  
  
"Did you get a chance to show off your broomstick collection as well?"  
  
"Snape, do you have the bloody potion?"  
  
After that, I was out of earshot. Muggle? Broomstick collection? Potion? I wondered. And what does he mean by 'dog meets Kat'? I unlocked the door to my white Volkswagon Beetle as I pondered this. Apparently, this Snape guy was missing a few marbles, unless they were speaking in some kind of code. These thoughts faded as I turned on the radio and heard my favorite song. I hummed as I pulled out of the parking lot and towards the street. I caught a glance at the two men before I drove away. Yes, I definitely want to see this Sirius Black again. 


End file.
